The second step
by Blue Sabbath
Summary: The second step is often the hardest one to take. The thrill of the start fizzles out and the insecurity of the end sinks in. Can the Brunet and the red head take their second step in time or all will be lost? ( Happens after Sacrifice AU)


It had been a five months since Timmy joined as Vicki's personal secretary. The work wasn't that much tough, all he had to do was scheduling appointments, making her notes for her demonstrations and selecting cutting edge publications for her reading. Though to a layman this might be quite a strenuous job, but Timmy being proficient in language found it doable. He didn't have much to whine about, his pay was fair and Vicki forced him to move in with her, to curtail his establishment expenses. Three meals a day and 500 bucks as his payment sounded fair for the brunet. Vicki also bought him an embossed keyboard and a screen commentator to ease his job.

He did good and had no qualms, but that didn't mean that he was speck less. Inadvertent errors crept in now and then. Despite being little less caustic Vicki was very strict in this regard.  
"Twerp, why the hell this isn't here? Why I haven't got my schedule prepared by now? Why did you miss on the recent cardiology study? I'm gonna deduct 10 bucks for each of your mistakes."

That wasn't an empty threat, every month his pay got deducted by around 20-30 bucks, but he didn't care. He was more satisfied than his previous job and gave his all. But a tinge of ear still lingered in his mind. In his youth whenever he believed in Vicki, she broke her trust, now if suddenly Vicki fires him he would be totally on the roads, but he was just like that. He sacrificed his vision to save her, he was probably the only one from her past who could put their career at stake for her request.

Still occasional bitterness was there between them, though Timmy was always on the receiving end, the age old custom has hard-wired Vicki to hurl insults at the brunet at every possibility.  
Like when they were out for seminar, where Vicki was going to submit her recent study in cardiology, she returned to her old ways. She booked a comfy ac room for her while pushed him for a non ac room. While she had everything of her wish in lunch and dinner as the authorities were bearing her expenses, she fixed relatively cheaper dishes for her personal secretary. She deducted his expenses from his salary.  
Even on the return flight she mocked him, "It's good that you can't see those hot girls, man you would have popped a boner and embarrassed me."

Timmy knew not to cross her, he gulped all her insults. As long as she is not firing him he was good, infact in his last job he almost wrestled to make ends meet, but this job gave him a little breathing space and people have treated him worse.

His parents stopped buying him new clothes and slashed his pocket money, they told him, " A blind free-loader like you should be happy with that," His parents never cared about him, to them he was an accidental child. His blindness added more to their already prevalent apathy, Chester and AJ were no better, their fake sympathetic trash talking only enraged him, but he didn't react. He purposefully let them go their way, he was now a burden to their friendship and the last thing Timmy needed was pity.

Though Tootie fared better, still when the distance between them grew large as both moved out for their respective studies, their interactions got lower and lower in the end Tootie also stopped replying him, he moved on, he didn't want her pity.

Timmy was immersed in his work, he was preparing Vicki's papers for the next submission, suddenly he heard a very familiar voice from the drawing room, his heart skipped a beat.

"How 're you doing sis?"

"So Tootie has come to pay a visit. I should go and check on her." Timmy reached out for his walking stick suddenly he remembered something, "Here we share a professional relationship only, twerp."

He sat down, he had a job to finish. Vicki was currently his employer; he had no business to meet her sister. If Vicki or Tootie makes the first move only then he'll reciprocate.

He could hear conversations between the two sisters, from what he heard he realized that Tootie is a project manager in an IT farm. "Surely the Valentine sisters are gems. To even think , 12 years ago, I was in their most frequent person; gives me Goosebumps."Timmy felt a tinge of sorrow for his diminutive existence, "I wish that both of them achieve more and more." Timmy smiled inwardly.

Suddenly Timmy heard footsteps approaching him,  
"What? What a pleasant surprise to see you here, Timmy." a familiar voice came to him.  
"Tootie, how are you?" Timmy genuinely felt happy to hear her voice. "What an unfortunate fellow I'm can't even see my long lost friend." He felt a pang of sorrow.

"I'm fine. Out of all places I never fancied that I'll meet you here?" Tootie looked a little shocked.

Vicki entered the conversation, "I met the twerp in a park, he said he was dissatisfied with his job and fortunately I had an opening. So I offered him and he took it, he is doing fine." Vicki explained the situation.

"For the first time I heard you saying something positive about him, why is the certain change Vicki? Are paying him with something else?" Tootie teased her sister.  
"He is a great employee and I admire that quality in him, he has no personal relation with me." Vicki almost screamed her point.  
"Jeez, no need to get worked up on that." Tootie said with a sarcastic smile.

"Still she thinks of me nothing more than her employee, so those lines to help me, save me were they all lies to rope me in? Why she wanted me in the first place, surely she has mellowed down but still she often reverts back to her old ways. What should I do?" Timmy thought about his helplessness, yet she couldn't hate her back, he didn't know why but something held him back.

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The sisters were out on a lunch date, leaving him behind. Neither of them invited him so he knew that they wanted alone time. Vicki had told him to order something. He ordered a pizza and dropped on the couch.  
The couch brought back old memories, when he still had his vision, when he still knew how blue is the sky, how pale is the horizon.  
Vicki used to slack around in the couch and would force him to all the chores. She often left him hungry, battered and mistreated. She would tie him up and threaten him with various weapons, she one or twice beaten him up. But all those memories still haunts him as nightmares but however all those memories never makes him despise Vicki, maybe he longed for someone, someone to be with him, even if the someone hurt him mercilessly.

His parents never cared about him, always running on vacations and leaving him under Vicki's care.  
To them he was only a burden , an unworthy load on their lives.  
When the first time he met the gorgeous pink eyed redhead he wanted to be friends with her; "Guess she'll never treat me as a friend, I'll always be despised by her. But still as long as she is ok and doing fine I've no regrets. Maybe a person like me in undeserving of her friendship." A tear escaped his eyes.

Timmy's pulled back to reality by a phone call, the apartment security wanted to verify whether he ordered pizza or not as the delivery guy had arrived.

Timmy got up to open the door, the delivery guy handed him the pizza. He gave him the payment, the delivery guy even helped him to get the pizza on the table as Timmy was having a bit of difficulty with it.

Timmy thanked the pizza guy and saw him off. He closed the door and settled for his lunch.

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Tootie and Vicki were having their lunch in this five star restaurant .  
Tootie and Vicki has become closer over the years, both knew their outlooks shouldn't be straining their relationship.  
"So, how it's going for you sis?" Tootie asked.

"My practice is going fine, my researches are also going great. "Vicki replied.

"So any ideas, about getting married?" Tootie liked to make Vicki uncomfortable.

"No, Jeez. I'm yet to have a lasting relationship, let alone marriage." Vicki stated defensively.

"I'm also bit tied down, too tied to even have sex." Tootie said dramatically.

"Mom and dad's desire to see us settled down and raising a family is getting stronger day by day. She even wanted to submit my profile to a matchmaker. Beware they are also considering yours too." Vicki conveyed the information.

"Just tell them that unlike you I'm in the need of more sex, while they can send you to a nunnery." Tootie joked. Vicki hit her lightly on her shoulder.

"By the way, how its's going with Timmy?" Tootie asked.  
"He is great at his works, he really knows his job. But still sometimes I think I cross the line though he never talks back, guess old habits die hard." Vicki replied with a sigh.  
"Hmm…..good, you are making progress." Tootie smiled, despite a sly thought appeared at the back of her mind.

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The sisters have returned from their lunch and were currently loitering on the sofa, while the TV was on. Timmy was busy doing his work.  
Suddenly he heard footsteps which followed by an aromatic smell of a very costly aromatic perfume, "Tootie." Timmy thought.  
Suddenly he felt an arm snaking on his back and he was pulled in a tight embrace.  
"Just like those time, hugging you always tops my charts." Tootie cooed seductively.  
"Tootie…I'm….." Tootie cut him off.

"Listen, Timmy. I've a good opportunity for you. You have a great writing capability, why you're wasting yourself here? I can give you a better job."

"But I've committed Vicki," again Tootie stopped him in his tracks, "Forget about her, she's only saving up by giving you a lower amount. She still nothings you and I can't figure out why are you still not hating her, it's entirely her fault that made you blind ,robbed you of your qualities. I'll take good care of you, you would be paid handsomely." Tootie's eyes reddened, her bp was rising.

"Listen, whatever she did to me, I forgot about those. I can't bring myself to hate her, it's my choice to sacrifice my eyes for her. It's hard to rationalize but I just can't hate her."  
"I'm giving you six hours, decide by then." Tootie rushed out of his room.

After five minutes, he again heard footsteps, this time they were little shaky and lackadaisical.  
"Twerp if you are interested in her offer, you can go; I won't stop you." Vicki sighed in a defeated tone. She overheard her sister's conversation with Timmy. She was sure that Timmy could never forgive her.  
"No, I'll go nowhere Vicki. I'll work with you. You gave me a purpose; you gave me a belief that I can also do things. People only pitied me Vicki but you had empathy for me. Though you often treat me harshly but that's because I'm at fault, unlike other's even Tootie, I'm not a burden for you. You treat me like a normal person, while everyone else treat me like a parasite , a leach. " a drop of tear escaped his eyes.

"I know you don't have any emotions for me, infact we never got along but believe me I never hated you, I always wanted to be your friend, to help you in achieving your dreams Vicki. Though I might be undeserving of our friendship, but still in this job I can help you." Timmy stopped.

Vicki came closer to him and took of hiss sunglasses, two prosthetic eyes looked at her lifelessly, yet they were moist. "You saved me back then despite our past, you would forego a lucrative offer to help me. This needs strength of character twerp." She hugged him.  
"Still I don't want to be your friend." Timmy sighed at this revelation.  
"Maybe I'm not good enough to be her friend, I'm a blind man and she is an ace doctor, why she should befriend me. Maybe I should have stayed in my limit "Timmy sighed.

"If this makes you uncomfortable, I'll move out, there are some cheap…" he was stopped by a kiss on his lips, "Stupid twerp, now you realize how I see you?"

Tootie overheard the whole conversation, "Damn masochist, or why else he would still stick with that damn sadist?"


End file.
